Published: September 01, 2008 12:47 am      

AWARD WINNER: Scott Shulock’s ribs take home Buffalo Spree award.

According to the magazine Buffalo Spree, the best place for ribs in Western New York is One Eyed Jack’s Smokehouse Grill on Transit Road in the Town of Lockport.

In its upcoming September issue, the magazine says One Eyed Jack’s ribs is “meat that melts in your mouth and is so good it doesn’t even need sauce.” The issue named all of the award winners for Buffalo Spree’s “Best of Western New York,” which gives awards to the best in everything from entertainment to food to arts and culture. One Eyed Jack’s was the only Lockport restaurant winner.

Known for its barbecue, pork and brisket, One Eyed Jack’s is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. One Eyed Jack’s owner Scott Shulock was given a plaque for the Buffalo Spree honor, but its not the first time One Eyed Jack’s has walked away from a competition with some hardware. Shulock recently spoke with the Union-Sun & Journal about the award and what makes the ribs the best in Western New York.

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QUESTION: Has One Eyed Jack’s won before?

ANSWER: Last year they (Buffalo Spree) had a different category and we tied with Kentucky Greg’s up in Depew. We tied with them for first place. What they (Buffalo Spree) do is come out anonymously, try the stuff ... you don’t even know they’re here. They go back and make their decisions, I don’t know the criteria they use. What they did is notify us by mail that we had won some type of an award, but they wouldn’t say what.

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Q: So it was kind of a surprise?

A: Yeah. ... First you think its a sales pitch or something like that, but they had a reception at Shea’s. We called and confirmed a couple of tickets and went up there. Apparently they do this big event every year, and it is a fundraiser for Mercy Flight, as well. So we went up to that, and it was pretty informal. You just go up to this big desk they have set up, you tell them who you are and they present you with the award. It’s not this big get on stage and make a big speech thing or anything.

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Q: Have you won any similar awards?

A: Last year, we won best barbecue in Western New York. We also won an award at the Taste of Lockport one year and we’ve got a case with a bunch of trophies and ribbons for barbecue that we have won.

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Q: What do you think sets your ribs apart from the competition?

A: Probably the way we cook them. It’s all done by feel, and there’s a certain twist that everybody gets trained on. You grab the bones and you twist them and they start to break a certain way, that’s when you know they’re done. So that may be the way. I remember asking a local pizza guy one time what made his pizza so good, and he said, ‘I don’t know. I think it’s because we don’t use a pan.’ One little simple step eliminated or added sometimes makes a world of difference. Everybody has that consistent feel for them.

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Q: How long have you been doing this?

A: This is our 10-year anniversary this year. In 1998, we started. I did it for about five years down in Florida. I’m originally from Lockport and fell into barbecue by mistake. After a few years with other jobs, I figured I know how to do this, so let’s give it a shot. It was a lot of practice, and trial and error. A lot ended up in the garbage, too.